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Slowly but steadily, Apple TV+ has cultivated a reputation for producing prestige programming. But one stunning miniseries has flown under the radar- Black Bird. The six-episode miniseries has a 98% critics and a 95% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This gripping psychological drama starring Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser is a hidden gem because it delivers an emotionally charged true story based on the life of a convicted drug dealer, James Keene.

One day, he gets the chance to escape the hellhole he is in, but there’s a catch. He can only get that redemption if he can successfully get into a maximum-security prison and make a suspected serial killer confess. Developed by Dennis Lehane, Black Bird delivers a mega punch of moral complexity combined with a haunting atmosphere and character-driven storytelling.

Apple TV+ is quite new to the territory of production houses like Warner Bros. and Disney, which have existed for generations.

This article contains spoilers for "Smoke."

Ever since Truman Capote invented the true crime genre with his masterful non-fiction book "In Cold Blood," people have sought out bizarre tales of horrifying misdeeds and murders committed by their fellow human beings -- and therein lies the form's unsettling appeal. It is easy to read a brief news story about the exploits of a serial killer and write them off as the actions of a monster, but when you commit to reading a fully researched and considered account of the how and why, you must contend with the deeply disturbing realization that these unthinkable crimes were committed by a sentient person.

When done well, the true crime genre works as a procedural/horror hybrid, which is why networks and streamers can't get enough of these lurid sagas. Ryan Murphy has scored big time with "American Crime Story" and, most recently, his "Monster" series,...

Exclusive:Mary Rose, the next feature to be directed by The Quiet Girl director Colm Bairéad’s Mary Rose, has received €100.000 from the Flanders Film Fund via the project’s Belgian co-producer Lemming Film. The lead producer is Bairéad’s Irish outfit Insceal which he runs with Cleona Ní Chrualaoi andthrough which they made The Quiet Girl.

Additionally, Oscar nominee Michaël R. Roskam’s Second World War movie Le Faux Soir, starring Matthias Schoenaerts, about how the Belgian resistance spooked the Nazis by spoofing leading Belgian newspaper Le Soir, has received €400.000.

In total, seven projects have received support totalling €2m...

Exclusive: Former Anton exec John Zois (The Night House) and current north.five.six. CEO Warren Goz (The Marksman) have launched Parallel 42 Entertainment, an LA-based film and TV development and production company that will focus on commercially driven projects across the action, thriller, sci-fi, and horror genres.

Zois, who spent the last six years helping build UK-based financier and production company Anton, will oversee the creative and operational aspects of the new indie. Parallel 42’s film slate will include mix of features and series—ranging from low-budget horror to large-scale commercial action—developed for studios, streamers, independent partners and cable.

As CEO, Goz will bring his background in production, financing, and sales to help guide and support the company’s projects.

The company is currently developing projects with filmmakers including Brad Anderson, the Dowdle Brothers Michaël R. Roskam, Nimród Antal, Jason Winer (Brother From Another Mother), and Rob Lorenz (In The Land of Saints & Sinners).

The firm will look to work with a range of sales partners on its projects but will also likely have a strong connection to north.five.six. given Goz’s ongoing role there.

Zois, who also has worked at Global Road and Im Global, most recently produced the upcoming sequel Greenland: Migration, starring Gerard Butler and set for release by Lionsgate later this year; and the upcoming Amazon UK original series The Girlfriend, starring Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke.

Goz, with north.five.six., has recently worked on movies By Any Means starring Mark Wahlberg, Regretting You, the adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel starring Dave Franco and acquired by Paramount, and Bartali, starring Miles Teller. Previously, he served as CEO of Sculptor Media, where he produced and developed various features including the 2023 Cannes entry Asphalt City.

“I am thrilled to be working with John and to build Parallel 42,” said CEO Warren Goz. “We are dedicated to making this company an exciting home for creatives to express their visions. With John’s superb taste, and creative production experience across all genres and levels of project, we are confident that we can achieve this.”

“There’s a massive opportunity right now to build a company that is nimble, creative-led, and commercially ambitious,” added Zois. “Parallel 42 will be a place where filmmakers can take big swings with real support behind them every step of the process—telling stories that connect and stay with you, whether they unfold over two hours or across an entire season.”...

Exclusive: Michaël R. Roskam has set a high-profile ensemble cast for his upcoming World War Two Belgian resistance heist story Le Faux Soir, reuniting him with frequent collaborator Matthias Schoenaerts, star of his 2011 Oscar-nominated breakout Bullhead.

Schoenaerts, whose involvement was announced in 2023, will be joined by Mélanie Thierry, Karim Leklou, Mara Taquin, Bouli Lanners, Julien Frison (The Night Of The 12th) and François Damiens.

Composer and musician Christophe Chassol (The Worst Person In The World), known for his collaborations with the likes of Phoenix and Frank Ocean, has also signed to write an original score.

Goodfellas will launch sales on the feature at Cannes, with principal photography due to kick off in Belgium in September.

Set in German-occupied Belgium in...

Keith Redmon, a veteran talent manager and Oscar-nominated producer, will depart Black Bear and join Philippe Rousselet’s Vendôme, the Academy Award-winning banner behind “Coda.”

At Vendôme, Redmon will continue representing several of his longtime clients, including Morten Tyldum, John Hillcoat, Raine Allen-Miller (“Rye Lane”), Michaël Roskam and Kyle Killen. Redmon is also producing Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian,” which is being adapted by John Logan with Hillcoat directing for New Regency.

Vendôme and Black Bear have several projects they are developing together. In a statement, Black Bear CEO Teddy Schwarzman commented, “We wish Philippe and Keith the best of luck on their new endeavor and look forward to continued collaboration with our friends at Vendôme. We thank Keith and his exceptional clients for being a meaningful part of the Black Bear family.”

In a statement, Vendôme Chairman and co-ceo Philippe Rousselet said, “I have known Keith...

Belgium producer Bart Van Langendonck of Savage Film is joining forces with Peter De Maegd of Potemkino to develop and produce a slate of international film and TV co-productions, as well as a slate of majority-Flemish feature films

Potemkino’s slate includes new projects with directors including Mike Figgis, Michael Roskam, Helena Dalemans, Tom Barman, and Dick Maas.

Van Langendonck has sold his shares in his company, Savage Film, to Eyeworks Belgium, owned by Warner Group. Savage is the Belgian co-producer of Berlin Competition contenderReflection In A Dead Diamondby Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani and has earlier credits includingRoskam’s 2011 film,...

Exclusive: Black Bear’s management arm has signed writer, director, actor, and producer Jordan Firstman, whose credits include Sundance 2023 black comedy Rotting in the Sun.

Firstman first rose to prominence by sharing short skits, impressions, and impersonations on Instagram Live during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He is also known for writing for Alia Shawkat’s Search Party and he was a consulting producer on Netflix’s animated series Big Mouth. As a filmmaker, Firstman directed the narrative short Men Don’t Whisper, which was shortlisted for the Grand Jury Prize at both Sundance and SXSW in 2018. He has also written for Comedy Central’s The Other Two and directed multiple episodes of the Peabody-nominated Sundance TV series This Close.

On the acting side, Firstman joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2022 via Ms. Marvel on Disney+. He also recently appeared in FX’s Dave and the Netflix comedy You People with Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy.

European film executives Christian De Schutter and Barbara Van Lombeek have teamed up to launch The FYC Academy, an agency for global awards strategies.

FYC – which stands for For Your Campaign – will launch officially in Cannes next month. The company’s focus is to set up international campaigns and develop strategies aimed at achieving optimum visibility for films during awards season.

It will include, but is not limited to Academy Awards campaigns, and will work initially on around five titles per year, from any international territory.

The FYC Academy will operate separately from Van Lombeek’s The PR Factory and...

Talented actors bring depth to Apple TV+'s Constellation, blending sci-fi drama with captivating visuals and character beats. Noomi Rapace shines as Jo, navigating a skewed reality after a mysterious space mission in this sci-fi psychological thriller. Jonathan Banks and James D'Arcy add intrigue to the storyline, creating a compelling dynamic with Jo's character development.

Apple TV+'s Constellation is led by a talented roster of actors who make its sci-fi drama all the more compelling and convincing. Created by Peter Harness, Constellation follows an astronaut named Jo, who works on the International Space Station with a group of other astronautical experts. Following a mysterious accident, Jo makes a heroic return to Earth. To her surprise, however, everything on Earth seems changed.

While Constellation's primary appeal comes from its exploration of complex sci-fi concepts and mysteries, it also captivates audiences with scintillating visuals of space and the inner workings of a space station.

France’s Indie Sales has picked up Come Back, the directorial debut from Flemish brothers Jan and Raf Roosens starring Veerle Baetens and her real-life daughter Billie Vlegels.

The film is in post and Indie Sales is launching it at the European Film Market later this month. Kinepolis Film Distribution is handling the Belgian release.

Vlegels plays the teenage daughter of a once-successful techno DJ couple, living with her father after her parents’ divorce. When her mother (Baetens) sets off to make an international comeback, her daughter is thrust into the nocturnal club scene world and finds herself torn between...

They claim the Flemish cultural sector will now suffer without De Schutter’s expertise and international contacts.

Over 150 leading figures from the European and international industry have signed an open letter in support of Christian De Schutter, former managing director of Flanders Image, whose sudden removal from his role was announced in a short email sent by Koen Van Bockstal, CEO of Flanders Audiovisual Fund (Vaf), on December 20.

“We’re all flummoxed by the situation and as his longtime colleagues we think we deserve some sort of explanation. We know that many people in Belgium, including your leading filmmakers, are also confused and angered,...

Exclusive: Black Bear’s management arm has signed the Swedish actor and model Simon Lööf for representation.

Lööf is currently on set in the lead role of Netflix’s Swedish thriller An Honest Life, directed by Mikael Marcimain, which is due to be released globally 2024.

Based on a thriller by Joakim Zander of the same name, the buzzed about production revolves around a disillusioned law school student who finds himself on the wrong side of the law, when he falls under the thrall of an anarchic, young woman he meets a political demonstration.

Simon Lööf made his acting debut in 2020 in teen ice hockey drama Eagles, which he followed with a co-starring role in the critically acclaimed Swedish series Threesome opposite Matilda Källström.

Aside from An Honest Life, Lööf’s will soon be seen in the series So Long, Marianne about the relationship between...

Black Bear’s management arm has signed award-winning Quebec director Sophie Dupuis for representation. Most recently, Dupuis’ third picture, “Solo,” premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the award for best Canadian film. The film, which was written and directed by Dupuis, stars fellow Black Bear client Théodore Pellerin. It is set in Montreal’s drag queen scene.

Critics embraced the film with SlashFilm calling it “a vibrant portrait of queer nightlife” and the Toronto Star praising the work as a “dexterous film that combines bold images with the quiet beat of a heart torn asunder two ways.”

Dupuis’ previous work, which also showcases her impactful storytelling and her focus on human complexity, has been widely lauded. Her feature film debut, the crime drama “Family First,” earned four Canadian Screen Awards. It was selected as Canada’s submission for best foreign language film at the 2018 Academy Awards.

Exclusive: Black Bear, the production, management and financing company founded by Teddy Schwarzman, on Thursday announced its signing of Simona Tabasco, one of the breakout Italian stars of The White Lotus‘ second season.

The news follows the firm’s introduction to Tabasco as the producer of Immaculate, a forthcoming psychological horror film in which she stars opposite fellow White Lotus alum Sydney Sweeney.

In the Sicily-set second installment of Mike White’s HBO satire The White Lotus, examining the dynamics between employees and guests at luxury hotels around the world, Tabasco starred alongside Adam Dimarco, Michael Imperioli, Beatrice Grannò, Theo James and more. The 10x Emmy-winning series had her playing the role of Lucia Greco, a prostitute enjoying the high life alongside aspiring chanteuse Mia (Grannò), as she builds her business on the grounds of The White Lotus Sicily. For her performance, the actress was recognized with an Emmy nom...

Exclusive: Black Bear’s management arm has signed Danish-American actor Elliott Crosset Hove for representation.

Hove is best known for the well-received Danish/Icelandic feature Godland, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival last year.

His lauded performance in the picture earned him Best Male Actor at Denmark’s 2023 Bodil Awards, as well as a Best Actor nomination at the European Film Awards.

Hove’s previous feature roles include Rasmus Heisterberg’s 2016 feature film In the Blood, for which Hove was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Bodil Awards, and Hlynur Pálmason’s Winter Brothers, which won him a Danish Robert Award and Best Actor at the Locarno Film Festival. He has also appeared in Journal 64, Before the Frost, Parents and Wildland.

Most recently, Hove starred in Katrine Brocks’ The Great Silence and Simon Jaquemet’s Electric Child, which is currently in post-production, alongside Rila Fukushima.

Following up her breakthrough in The Worst Person in the World, Renate Reinsve has steadily been adding new projects to her roster. The latest is Piero Messina’s sci-fi film Another End, in which she co-stars with Gael García Bernal and Bérénice Bejo. Variety reports the film is “set in a near-future when a new technology exists that can put the consciousness of a dead person back into a living body, in an attempt to ease the grief of separation, providing a little extra time to say goodbye.” Bernal takes the role of the widower Sal and Reinsve is Zoe, whose body is where the memory and consciousness of Sal’s former wife have been temporarily implanted. With production already wrapped, see the first images above and below.

Next up, David Mackenzie has set his next film with the thriller Relay, starring Riz Ahmed and Lily James. Scripted by Justin Piasecki and Mackenzie,...

Berlinale Competition title heading to Benelux, Switzerland, Poland and and Taiwan.

International buyers are moving in on Spanish filmmaker Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren’s Berlinale Competition title 20.000 Species Of Bees.

Paris-based sales Luxbox has sold the debut film to Benelux (September Film), Switzerland (Cineworx), Poland (Gutek Film) and Taiwan (Swallow Wings Film).

20.000 Species Of Bees, is the story of a young child who explores her identity during a summer vacation in her mother’s hometown in the Basque Country. The women of her family, and her mother in particular (played by Patricia Lopez Arnaiz), also reflect on their own lives.

The slate showcases emerging Chilean and international filmmakers.

Chilean producer Giancarlo Nasi of Santiago and Los Angeles-based Quijote Films has revealed details of his international slate of Ibero-American productions, showcasing emerging Chilean and international filmmakers. Quijote is one of the five companies selected for the five-label Company Matching Programme at the EFM.

Rodrigo’s Susarte genre’s film Invunche, a co-production with Florencia Larrea’s Forastero Films, and Diego Céspedes’ feature debut The Mysterious Gaze Of The Flamingo are both set to shoot this year.

Nasi is also producing his first doc feature Texas Soul Sisters, to be directed by France-South Africa filmmaker Pascal Lamche,...

Duo previously collaborated on ’Bullhead’ and ’Racer And The Jailbird’.

Belgian filmmaker Michaël R. Roskam is reuniting with the team behind Bullhead and Racer And The Jailbird for wartime feature Le Faux Soir, set to star regular collaborator Matthias Schoenaerts.

Set in 1943, it tells the story of when the Belgian resistance secretly produced a spoof version of the country’s leading newspaper, Le Soir, which had become a propaganda tool of the occupying Nazi forces.

Schoenaerts, who starred in Roskam’s Oscar-nominated Bullhead and was more recently seen in David O Russell’s Amsterdam, is set to play the Belgian resistance hero.

Flanders Image, the promotional arm of the Vaf film fund of Belgium’s Flemish-speaking community, has unveiled the 80 projects selected for its annual Connext showcase, running as a hybrid event from October 10-24.

The showcase, which will hold a physical component in Antwerp from October 9-11, unfolds against the backdrop of a high-profile year for Belgian film and the cinema of its Flemish-speaking community in particular.

Lukas Dhont’s Close won Cannes Grand Prize and is now a frontrunner in the best international film category of the Oscars as Belgium’s submission; while Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch clinched Cannes Jury Prize for Italian-language drama The Eight Mountains (ex-acquo with Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo).

Rebel, the homecoming film of Bad Boys For Life directorial duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, has also been making waves internationally after debuting Out of Competition at Cannes.

These films were all showcased at previous editions of Connext.

Tom Hardy is an incredibly intense actor. Even if he's making something as goofily mainstream as "Venom," he throws everything he's got into the role. This can be a bit off-putting at times. His thick Brooklyn accent as Eddie Brock is a wildly heightened variation on the character he played in Michaêl R. Roskam's hugely underrated "The Drop"; it takes some getting used to, and some people just can't get there. But, hey, at least you can understand what he's saying, as opposed to his voice-modulated portrayal of Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises."

In any event, be it a comic book movie or a deathly serious Alejandro González Iñárritu drama, Hardy fully commits – even if he's not entirely sure where the film is headed. This was the case with Christopher Nolan's "Inception," a metatextual action film that unfolds on a grand, blockbuster scale. He knew he was...

Spoiler Alert: The following story contains details from Friday’s Black Bird series finale.

When Apple TV+’s six-episode psychological thriller Black Bird reached its conclusion on Friday, one of the criminals at its center was redeemed—the other, condemned.

The episode titled “You Promised” finds drug dealer turned FBI informant Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton) getting increasingly aggressive, in his quest to get answers out of Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser)—the serial confessor revealed to be a serial killer, who won’t reveal where his bodies are buried.

In a bid to get home to his ailing father Big Jim (Ray Liotta), who in this episode is seen suffering a stroke, Jimmy looks to use Larry’s ego against him via a bit of reverse psychology. Larry, he says, is a liar—a teller of tall tales full of rapes and murders that he hasn’t, in fact, committed.

Black Bird WhatsHerName Plot Synopsis and Air Date — Apple TV+‘s Black Bird: Season 1, Episode 4: WhatsHerName plot synopsis and air date have been released. Crew Black Bird stars Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Ray Liotta, Greg Kinnear, Sepideh Moafi, and Robert Diago DoQui. Michaël R. Roskam, Joe Chappelle, and Jim McKay directed the episodes [...]

Continue reading: Black Bird: Season 1, Episode 4: WhatsHerName Plot Synopsis & Air Date [Apple TV+]...

[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Black Bird” Season 1, Episode 3, “Hand to Mouth.”]

The first two episodes of “Black Bird,” released simultaneously last week, were exposition-heavy with the setup of our two leads: drug dealer-turned-informant Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton) and possible (?) serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser). The culmination of Episode 2, “We Are Coming, Father Abraham,” saw Jimmy and Larry physically inhabit the same space with the hard work — Jimmy cozying up to Larry to garner a new confession — just beginning.

Episode 3, “Hand to Mouth,” continues the Lehane touch established in the first two episodes. It’s not surprising considering the director of this episode is Michael R. Roskam, who directed the 2014 feature film adaptation of Lehane’s novel, “The Drop.” Last week, Jimmy had a serious moment of weakness and contemplated backing out of the deal entirely. We understand why the first minute of this episode, when Jimmy looks back on the interactions he...

Black Bird Hand to Mouth Plot Synopsis and Air Date — Apple TV+‘s Black Bird: Season 1, Episode 3: Hand to Mouth plot synopsis and air date have been released. Crew Black Bird stars Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Ray Liotta, Greg Kinnear, Sepideh Moafi, and Robert Diago DoQui. Michaël R. Roskam, Joe Chappelle, and Jim [...]

Continue reading: Black Bird: Season 1, Episode 3: Hand to Mouth Plot Synopsis & Air Date [Apple TV+]...

Click here to read the full article.

Disclaimer: No matter what you may have gathered from film and television, given the opportunity to sit down in a sterile room opposite a manacled serial killer, chances are very poor that you would be able to get him to share intimate details about his crimes and subtextual lessons about life.

Just because you see things done in scripted form doesn’t mean you can execute them in real life, and just because something was done in real life doesn’t mean it’s going to be transferred believably into scripted form. Oh, and just because something real isn’t transferred believably into scripted form doesn’t necessarily mean the result will be bad.

Dennis Lehane’s new six-part drama, Black Bird, is based on James Keene’s memoir In With the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption.

True Crime has become one of the hottest tickets on TV.

Whether a movie, docuseries, or scripted show, the lure of our darker side persists.

Dennis Lehane is a master of our darker side. As an author and filmmaker, his work looks into what drives people to darkness and how they come back from it.

Lehane's work on the page and screen meld beautifully with Black Bird, an adaptation of In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene.

Jimmy Keene is a successful drug dealer living a lavish lifestyle. He came from humble beginnings, but Jimmy is anything but humble himself. His friends still watch his high school football tapes, and Jimmy relishes the lavish praise and attention he receives.

Larry Hall's beginning was a little less stellar. He, too, came from humble beginnings, and whether it was...

Black Bird Trailer — Apple TV+‘s Black Bird (2022) movie trailer has been released. The Black Bird trailer stars Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Ray Liotta, Greg Kinnear, Sepideh Moafi, and Robert Diago DoQui. Crew Michaël R. Roskam, Joe Chappelle, and Jim McKay directed the episodes of Black Bird. Dennis Lehane wrote the screenplay for [...]

Continue reading: Black Bird (2022) TV Show Trailer: Taron Egerton Tries to Elicit a Confession from Killer Paul Walter Hauser...

Apple TV+ on Wednesday dropped the trailer for the highly anticipated limited drama series Black Bird.

The series is "a gritty, suspenseful psychological thriller" developed and executive produced by acclaimed bestselling author Dennis Lehane.

The six-episode series premieres globally, with the first two episodes on Friday, July 8, 2022, on Apple TV+, followed by one new episode weekly every Friday through August 5, 2022.

The series stars Taron Egerton as Jimmy Keene, Paul Walter Hauser as Larry Hall, Greg Kinnear as Brian Miller, Sepideh Moafi as Lauren McCauley, and the late Ray Liotta as Jimmy Keene's father, Big Jim Keene.

Liotta passed away on May 26 in his sleep.

The legendary Goodfellas actor had a string of projects in the works at the time of his death.

Black Bird is adapted from the true-crime memoir "In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption" by James Keene and Hillel Levin.

Click here to read the full article.

Apple TV+ has released a trailer for its limited series Black Bird, which features Ray Liotta in one of his final roles.

The six-episode drama, which premieres July 8, centers on Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), the son of a police officer who’s convicted of a crime and sentenced to 10 years in a minimum-security prison. He’s given a choice by prosecutors, however: Serve the full term without possibility of parole or transfer to a maximum-security facility for the criminally insane and befriend a suspected serial killer (Paul Walter Hauser) in hopes of getting him to confess to more crimes.

Liotta, who died in late May at age 67, plays Big Jim Keene, Jimmy’s father. He’s featured at the beginning of the trailer telling his son, “I never wanted this for you. I wanted a totally different life — a steady paycheck, kids, a family.

The late, wonderful Ray Liotta died last month at the age of 67, but he still has a number of projects coming out posthumously.

That includes the limited drama series “Black Bird,” a true-crime psychological thriller developed and executive-produced by “Gone Baby Gone,” “Mystic River,” and “Shutter Island” author Dennis Lehane. Apple TV+ premieres the first two episodes on Friday, July 8, with one following each week through August 5. Watch the official trailer below.

The series is adapted from the memoir “In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption” by James Keene and Hillel Levin. Ray Liotta is one of an ensemble that includes Taron Egerton as Jimmy Keene, a local high school football star and decorated policeman’s son who is sentenced to 10 years in a minimum-security prison. But he’s given a choice: enter a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane and...

Apple TV+ has debuted a trailer for “Black Bird,” the streamer’s upcoming psychological thriller limited series starring Taron Egerton and Ray Liotta. The project is set to premiere on July 8.

The six-episode series follows Jimmy Keene (Egerton), a high school football hero and the son of decorated policeman “Big Jim” (Liotta), who is sentenced to 10 years in a minimum security prison. He is given the choice of a lifetime: enter a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane and befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) or stay where he is and serve his full sentence with no possibility of parole. “Black Bird” is based on the 2010 true crime memoir “In With the Devil.”

“I never wanted this for you,” Liotta says in the trailer as Big Jim, visiting Keene in prison. “I wanted a totally different life. A steady paycheck. Kids. A family.”

“Dad. Tell me there...

Apple on Wednesday unveiled the trailer for Black Bird, its six-episode original limited series from executive producer Dennis Lehane. The psychological thriller is set to debut globally Apple TV+ on July 8.

Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Greg Kinnear, Sepideh Moafi and Ray Liotta star in the Apple Studios-produced series, which was adapted from the true crime memoir In With the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene and Hillel Levin.

The series represents the last TV work of Liotta, the Goodfellas and Field of Dreams star who died May 26 at age 67. Lehane, the true crime author behind the likes of Mystic River and Live By Night and who developed, wrote and EPs Black Bird, penned a moving tribute to Liotta after the actor died in his sleep while shooting a film on location in the Dominican Republic. The author called...

Taron Egerton is going deep undercover as a snitch in maximum security prison to entice a confession out of a suspected serial killer in a bid for his own early release in the trailer for “Black Bird.”

The Apple TV+ series, which debuts with two episodes on July 8, finds Egerton playing Jimmy Keene, a decorated policeman’s son (Ray Liotta), who is sentenced to 10 years behind bars. But, with the authorities needing help in solving a series of gruesome murders, and suspect Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) in supermax, Keene is offered the opportunity to go to the prison for the criminally insane, and elicit a confession.

Things get hairy for Egerton’s Keene as the trailer shows, as he deals with violence, the mentally ill and solitary confinement.

New episodes of the six-episode psychological thriller will drop every Friday though August 5.

Also Read:

Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser...

Ray Liotta had recently wrapped shooting Apple’s upcoming series Black Bird, his final completed television series, shortly before his death. In a heartfelt remembrance Thursday, series creator Dennis Lehane fondly remembered Liotta as “the most electric American actor of his generation.” Lehane revealed that it “was the culmination of a lifelong dream” to work with Liotta and that he wrote the role of Big Jim Keene specifically for the Emmy-winning actor, describing his performance as a “master class.” Lehane also shares their funny and poignant interactions on set. You can read his entire tribute below.

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery

The upcoming limited series, set for premiere July 8 on Apple TV+, marked Liotta’s return to series television as a lead opposite Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser. An adaptation of James Keene and Hillel Levin’s true-crime memoir, In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer,...

Derk-Jan Warrink, co-founder of Keplerfilm, will represent The Netherlands as Producer on the Move at the Cannes Film Festival, May 17–28. The coproduction ‘The Woodcutter Story’**, directed by Mikko Myllylahti is set to premiere in Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique. Keplerfilm will also celebrate the world premiere of Fleur van der Meulen’s debut feature ‘Pink Moon’** at Tribeca next month and Michiel ten Horn’s family film ‘Hotel Sinestra’** is currently in post-production.

Derk-Jan Warrink

www.see-nl.com

Besides Derk-Jan’s place in Cannes this year, Netherlands has secured a place in the Festivl Competition with Close directed by Lukas Dhont, a coproduction of Belgium, Netherlands, France. Internationl sales agent (Isa) The Match Factory is selling this story of Leo and Remi, two thirteen-year-old boys whose close friendship suddenly thrown into disarray as the prospect of adolescence looms. Trying to understand what has gone wrong, Leo seeks comfort and grows closer to Remi’s mother, Sophie, as the boys pursue forgiveness and reconciliation to try and get their friendship back together. Lukas Dhont directs from a screenplay by Dhont and Angelo Tijssens, reteaming after their first feature film Girl.

Directors’ Fortnight is screening A Male/ Un varón directed by Fabian Hernández, a coproduction of Colombia, France, Germany, and Netherlands. Critics’ Week Competition is premiering The Woodcutter Story / Metsurin tarina directed by Mikko Myllylahti, a copro of Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, and Germany.

In L’Atelier is Anna 1st directd by Rosanne Pel of Netherlands.

To return to Derk-Jan who founded Keplerfilm together with Koji Nelissen in 2016 after having worked on award-winning films such as The Lobster* (by Yorgos Lanthimos), Bullhead (Michaël R. Roskam), Blind* (Eskil Vogt) and Monos** (Alejandro Landes), Keplerfilm has established itself as a (co-)production company of high-quality independent international feature films such as Semaine de la Critique 2021 Grand Prize winner Feathers* (Omar El Zohairy), Netflix Original Captain Nova** (Maurice Trouwborst) and Buladó** (Eché Janga) which was awarded Best Film at the National Film Awards.

Keplerfilm strongly values building a creative breeding ground on which exceptional and talented writers and directors can grow to their full potential, with an eye for an equal number of female and male directors. They have founded a writer’s residency which offers filmmakers the opportunity to work on a film plan for a month. Keplerfilm focuses on feature film and has the ambition to tell stories about real people, with inescapable struggles and genuine desires, while at the same time always aiming to entertain the audience intellectually.

Derk-Jan Warrink is one of the in total 20 promising, up-and-coming European producers who have been selected for Producers on the Move, European Film Promotion’s high profile hybrid promotion and networking platform. The exclusive group of producers will be put in the spotlight before and during the Cannes Film Festival and take part in a tailor-made hybrid program in order to foster international co-productions, intensify the exchange of experiences and help create new professional networks. The Pre-Festival online program, which started May 3rd and runs until May 5th, includes 1:1 speed meetings, roundtables and pitching sessions. Producers will then meet personally during the Festival de Cannes from 19 to 23 May and take part in a five-day on-site program including case studies, social events and an extensive promotional campaign via the international trade magazines.

Previous Producers on the Move from the Netherlands include Iris Otten of Juliet — Pupkin(2021), Joram Willink of Bind Film (2019), Frank Hoeve of Baldr (2018), Julius Ponten of New Amsterdam Film Company (2017), Janneke Doolaard of Doxy Films (2016), Ellen Havenith of Prpl (2015), Harro van Staverden of Phanta Basta (2014), Marleen Slot of Viking Film (2013) and Trent of Oak Motion Pictures (2012).

*supported by the Netherlands Film Fund

**supported by the Netherlands Film Fund and Netherlands Production Incentive

Derk-Jan Warrink, Keplerfilm

Ph: +31 20 737 0608

derkjan@keplerfilm.com

www.keplerfilm.com

European Film Promotion

info@efp-online.com

www.efp-online.com

See Nl, a collaboration between Eye Filmmuseum and the Netherlands Film Fund, is dedicated to the international promotion of Dutch films, film professionals and film culture.

www.see-nl.com / www.eyefilm.nl

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“Black Bird,” a limited series starring Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser, will premiere on Apple TV Plus this July 8, the streamer announced Thursday.

Based on James Keene and Hillel Levin’s true crime memoir “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption,” “Black Bird” stars Egerton as Keene, a police officer’s son who is sentenced to 10 years in a minimum security prison for drug dealing. While serving his sentence, he is offered a chance for early parole, on the condition that he move to a prison for the criminally insane and befriend serial killer Larry Hall (Hauser). Keene reluctantly agrees to the unusual case, and develops a complicated relationship with Hall as he attempts to discover the truth behind the murders the convict is suspected of committing. In addition to Egerton and Hauser, the series also stars Sepideh Moafi, Greg Kinnear and Ray Liotta.

Apple released two first-look photos on Thursday of Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser in the psychological thriller “Black Bird.”

The six-episode series, which is developed and executive produced by “Mystic River” author Dennis Lehane, will premiere the first two episodes globally on Friday, July 8, with a new episode available each Friday. It’s is adapted from the true crime memoir “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption” by James Keene and Hillel Levin.

Egerton stars as Jimmy Keene, a high school football hero and decorated policeman’s son who’s convicted of dealing drugs. When he’s sentenced to 10 years in a minimum security prison, he is given a choice: enter a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane and befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Hauser), or serve his full sentence with no possibility of parole. Keene opts to try...

Greg Kinnear and Sepideh Moafi have been cast in the upcoming Apple drama series “In With the Devil,” Variety has learned.

The pair joins previously announced series leads Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser as well as Ray Liotta. The six-episode series was ordered at Apple in January. It based on the 2010 novel “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption” by James Keene and Hillel Levin.

The book tells the story of Keene’s real life when he was sentenced to prison but offered his freedom in exchange for coaxing a confession out of a fellow inmate, a suspected serial killer.

The series is described as being told through the lens of an intimate relationship between two prisoners, exploring the lengths that people will go to in order to seek redemption, if true absolution is ever really possible, and if so,...

Ray Liotta has joined the cast of Apple’s upcoming limited series “In With the Devil,” the streamer announced Friday.

Based on the 2010 novel “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption” by James Keene and Hillel Levin, the six-episode series centers on the “intimate relationship” between two prisoners and explores “the lengths that people will go to in order to seek redemption, if true absolution is ever really possible, and if so, at what costs.”

Keene and Levin’s novel centers on a young football star who is sentenced to 10 years in prison and is offered the chance at freedom if he can coax a confession out of a fellow inmate and serial killer.

Liotta will star on the series as Big Jim, alongside “Rocketman” star Taron Egerton and “Richard Jewell” breakout Paul Walter Hauser. Dennis Lehane will write and executive produce.

Ray Liotta has signed on the upcoming Apple drama series “In With the Devil,” Variety has confirmed.

Liotta joins previously announced series leads Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser.

The six-episode series would be based on the 2010 novel “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption” by James Keene and Hillel Levin. The book tells the story of Keene’s real life when he was sentenced to prison but offered his freedom in exchange for coaxing a confession out of a fellow inmate, a suspected serial killer.

The series is described as being told through the lens of an intimate relationship between two prisoners, exploring the lengths that people will go to in order to seek redemption, if true absolution is ever really possible, and if so, at what costs. Egerton will star as Keene, with Hauser playing the serial killer. Liotta...

‘Rocketman’ star Taron Egerton and ‘Richard Jewell’ actor Paul Walter Hauser have jumped on board the Apple TV limited series ‘In with the Devil’.

Based on the 2010 novel ‘In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption’ by James Keene and Hillel Levin, the story unfolds Keene’s real life when he was sentenced to prison but offered his freedom in exchange for coaxing a confession out of a fellow inmate, a suspected serial killer.

The story has been described as being told through the lens of an intimate relationship between two prisoners. Egerton would star in the Keene role.

Also in news – The British Independent Film Awards announce first round of winners

Dennis Lehane will write and executive produce the adaptation. Imperative Entertainment’s Bradley Thomas, Dan Friedkin, and Ryan Friedkin will also executive produce along with Egerton, Richard Plepler via Eden Productions,...

Apple is nearing an order for the limited series “In with the Devil,” with Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser onboard to star, Variety has learned.

The six-episode series would be based on the 2010 novel “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption” by James Keene and Hillel Levin. The book tells the story of Keene’s real life when he was sentenced to prison but offered his freedom in exchange for coaxing a confession out of a fellow inmate, a suspected serial killer.

The series is described as being told through the lens of an intimate relationship between two prisoners, exploring the lengths that people will go to in order to seek redemption, if true absolution is ever really possible, and if so, at what costs. Egerton would star in the Keene role.

Dennis Lehane will write and executive produce the adaptation.

Apple TV+ has lured another A-lister to the small screen, tapping Taron Egerton (Rocketman) to star in a six-episode limited series from Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone author Dennis Lehane.

Written and exec produced by Lehane, In With The Devil centers on an intimate relationship between two prisoners, and explores the lengths that people will go to in order to seek redemption — and if true absolution is ever really possible. This story “subverts the crime genre,” according to Apple TV+, by “enlisting the help of the very people put behind bars to solve its mysteries and demonstrates that truth...

Drafthouse Films is stepping back into the world of distribution after a five-year hiatus with the North American co-release of India’s Oscar entry, “Jallikattu.”

The company — which is the film distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema — is partnering with XYZ Films, which picked up the phantasmagorical “Jallikattu” for North America back in December. The title, which is Drafthouse Films’ first new acquisition since 2016, marks a new directive by the distributor to support emerging filmmakers.

“[‘Jallikattu’] blew us away because it felt like it was beamed in from another dimension and left a permanent imprint on our brain,” said Drafthouse Films in a statement shared with Variety.

XYZ and Drafthouse are planning a spring release that will include theatrical support, as well as all digital platforms along with a Blu-Ray edition of the film. Drafthouse parent company Alamo Drafthouse launched curated VOD platform Alamo on Demand in May.

Directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery,...

Exclusive: Adèle Exarchopoulos, who in 2013 became the youngest winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or for her co-starring role in Blue Is the Warmest Color, has signed with UTA.

The move comes as the French-born actor has several projects in the works. In film, that includes the French crime drama Bac Nord directed by Cédric Jimenez and Quentin Dupieux’s fantasy comedy Mandibles. On TV, she co-starred with Jonathan Cohen on the recent first season of the Canal+ reality TV dating spoof comedy La Flamme.

Exarchopoulos was just 19 when she, co-star Léa Seydoux and director Abdellatif Kechiche in a rare feat shared the top Cannes honor for the drama. That led to roles including in Sean Penn’s The Last Face with Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem, Michaël R. Roskam’s Racer and the Jailbird, Ralph Fiennes’ The White Crow and Justine Triet’s Sibyl.

Her credits...

Fera represents some 20,000 directors across Europe.

The Federation of European Film Directors (Fera) has suggested when production starts up again, every scene will have to be set up with the same level of care as a dangerous stunt scene.

Its members’ creativity will be central to getting this to work, the body said in a statement titled ’Love in the time of corona: Developing health and safety guidelines on set, a director’s perspective’, on Monday (May 18).

“For decades screen directors have been shooting dangerous stunts Safely. ‘Selling’ a punch between two actors by positioning the camera so it can...

Fera represents some 20,000 directors across Europe.

The Federation of European Film Directors (Fera) has suggested that when production starts up again, every scene will have to be set up with the same extra care of a dangerous stunt scene and that its members’ creativity will be central to getting this to work.

“For decades screen directors have been shooting dangerous stunts. Safely. ‘Selling’ a punch between two actors by positioning the camera so it can’t see the safe space between them is an early example of successful social distancing,” the body said in the statement headlined ’Love in the...

The Ace Series Special is running Nov 4-9 in Brussels.

European producers organisation Ace Producers has unveiled the selection of sixteen producers who will participate in its inaugural TV drama-focused initiative, the Ace Series Special, running Nov 4-9 in Brussels.

The programme is aimed at experienced producers who want to create a series division within their film companies and, or deepen their knowledge of developing and producing TV drama series for an international audience. Each participant will attend with a series project in the early stages of development

They include Belgium’s Bart Van Langendonck at Savage Film, who will...